A Year in the Life
by IWillEditYourBooks
Summary: CO. This story follows the relationship of Casey and Olivia through a year. Each chapter is a new month. COMPLETE!
1. January

"A Year in the Life"

**Summary:** CO. This story follows the relationship of Casey and Olivia through a year. Each chapter is a new month.

**A/N & Disclaimer:** I do not own SVU, or any other things that may be referenced throughout the course of this story. MY FIRST CO!!! You knew it was coming—I just had to wait for the right idea to come along! Please review!

January

It's a slow courtship, that of co-workers. It's like one that would be found on the Discovery Channel, the way that each individual dances around the other, not wanting to seem too interested in the other, while desperately hoping that their feelings are reciprocated. There is the ever-present possibility of an office fling, a "strictly sex" relationship, but when one of the parties involved feels that they may care for their co-worker in a way that involves more than purely lust, things become complicated.

"Complicated" is a word that is often thrown around when dealing with inter-office relationships, and the last thing Casey Novak wanted was for her relationship with Olivia Benson to become "complicated". She honestly felt that the potential for a long-term relationship was there. She was certain that had they met under different circumstances, by now they would have been half way to Guam on their honeymoon. The problem was, however, that Casey had no idea if Olivia felt the same way about her, or if she was even slightly interested in other women for that matter.

January is a time of new beginnings—starting with a clean slate. The weather—especially in New York is frigid, full of snow, and overall miserable. Olivia wished that the weather would let up, but above all she wished that starting over meant that she now had the courage to go after what she really wanted. She thought it was ridiculous that she could stare down the barrel of a perp's gun and not bat an eye, but when it came to issues regarding her relationship with Casey Novak, her knees shook. She was certain that had they met under different circumstances, by now they would have been half way to Hawaii on their honeymoon. The problem was, however, that Olivia had no idea if Casey felt the same way about her, or if she was even slightly interested in other women for that matter.

Olivia decided that if there was any hope for the two women to have any kind of relationship outside of work, they should develop a platonic bond first. Her birthday was coming in a week, and she decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to get together. Tomorrow morning, she would ask Casey to dinner for Saturday night. She fell asleep thinking about all of the possible ways she could ask her without coming off as a total creep.

It was Monday morning and Casey was not a happy woman. It was January 23rd and her boss needed her to arraign a suspect in a Rape-1/Murder-2 case by the 25th. The only problem: the SVU was no where near arresting a suspect. She knew deep down that the squad was doing all that they could, but as she strode confidently into the 16th precinct that morning, she was fuming. She swore that the first person who so much as looked at her funny was going to become very well acquainted with her fist. She walked in to see Elliot and Olivia doing paperwork.

"Detectives!" she yelled quickly, "Do we have any leads on the Daubert Case?"

"Hello to you too, Casey," Elliot said dryly, "No, I'm afraid we don't."

"Well why not?" she quickly retorted.

Olivia looked up from her paperwork and said, "We've hit a dead end, Case. I'm sorry."

"Well that's not good enough! I can't do my job unless you do yours correctly!"

"We'd be able to do our job better if you were capable of getting a warrant!" Olivia yelled back at her.

_Oh no, Olivia. Not you. I did NOT want to be mad at you_. "Just call me when you actually have a solid lead and I'll get you the warrant, okay?" Casey said meekly and walked out of the squad room slightly hurt.

Olivia ran after her.

"Casey!" she yelled, "Wait up! Look, I'm really sorry. I guess…"

"No, Olivia, I'm sorry. I know you guys are trying, it's just my boss has really been on my back about this case. Plus, I'm PMS-ing something awful this week."

Olivia laughed. "I hear you. You're preaching to the choir."

Both women laughed. "Hey, Case? It's my birthday on Saturday and I was hoping that you'd like to go out and celebrate with me?"

Casey was shocked. "Me? Are you sure? I mean, I'd love to."

"Great," Olivia smiled, "I'll call you later this week and set up a time and place?"

"Sounds great. Talk to you then." Casey started, "Oh, and Olivia?"

"Yeah Casey?"

"Get the bastard for the Daubert case already, ok?"

"Ok, Case."

And with that Casey turned around on her heel and sauntered into the elevator with poise. It was Monday morning, and Casey was a happy woman.

The rest of the week came and went quickly. Elliot and Olivia were able to arrest a suspect in the Daubert Case, and Casey arraigned him without a problem. She loved when things worked out perfectly, although those moments were few and far between.

But tonight, she felt that it was going to be another perfect moment, as she and Olivia were going out to celebrate the detective's birthday, and although she was almost completely sure that this couldn't in any way be construed as a date, she was happy that she was just going to get to spend a little extra time with Olivia. Now if she could only figure out what to wear…

Olivia was freaking out in the bedroom of her small apartment. She could not find anything suitable to wear! She had work clothes and sweats, but not much in between. She pulled out a knee-length black dress with green trim at the bottom and smiled. _Perfect_ she decided. She slid it over her head and smirked slightly at the way the dress hugged her chest and hips.

Meanwhile, Casey had picked out a royal blue evening dress which complimented her strawberry blonde hair perfectly. She applied her makeup carefully, and headed out the door. She and Olivia had decided that it would be best for Casey to take a cab to Olivia's apartment where they would have some dinner, and from there they would walk a few blocks to a club.

The cab ride to Olivia's was torture. Casey could hardly contain her excitement as she quickly paid the cab driver, hopped out of the cab, and walked up to Olivia's stoop. She found Olivia's name on the tenant list and pressed the call button.

"Hello." Olivia's voice answered.

"Hey it's me. Unlock the door! It's freezing out here!"

"Haha, ok Case. Opening it up now."

Casey heard the click of the door and bolted inside. She practically ran up the stairs to Olivia's 5th floor apartment.

Olivia opened the door before Casey could even knock.

"Hey! Come on in!" she said warmly.

"Thanks! Happy Birthday!" Casey said as she leaned in to give her friend a quick peck on the cheek. "Here! I got you a present!" she said as she pushed the small box and envelope forward towards Olivia.

"Thanks, Case! I'll open it in a sec, but first, let me take your coat. What would you like to drink? I opened some wine for dinner."

"That sounds great, thanks Liv. You didn't have to cook on your birthday, you know."

"I know," Olivia said without turning around, as she continued to pour Casey some of the wine "I didn't. I had it delivered from the Italian place down the street." She spun around and for the first time saw Casey without her coat. _Wow. _She thought. _Is this woman trying to kill me?_

Casey laughed at Olivia's confession about the dinner and responded, "It doesn't matter to me! I'll eat anything!"

The two women comfortably sat and ate their dinner, talking about their pasts and their jobs…nothing out of the ordinary. Before long, they had completely devoured their dinner and decided that it was time to head out to the club.

"Hey Liv, where's the bathroom? I need to reapply my makeup."

"Down that hallway, second door on the left." She said with the smile.

While Casey was freshening up in the bathroom, Olivia noticed the gift that she hadn't yet opened. She tentatively picked up the small package with the card attached and started opening it…

Casey looked at herself in the mirror. Aside from her now-smeared lipstick, she was pleased with her appearance. She was glad she decided to dress up—Olivia certainly did. She absent-mindedly thought about how amazing Olivia looked while she smoothly put on more lipstick at played with her hair slightly.

When Olivia opened the card, she was shocked at what she read:

_Dear Olivia,_

_Happy Birthday! Thanks so much for inviting me tonight. It means a lot to me. I like you a lot, Liv. I mean like really like you, and I feel like such a 12-year-old writing it in a note like this, but for some reason you make me nervous (that's not necessarily a bad thing). _

_I have no idea if you feel the same way about me, and if you don't, please disregard this note as poor judgment on my part and never think about it again. But, if you do feel the same way (even just a little bit), then maybe you'd be willing to give thie whole dating thing a try?_

_Again, Happy Birthday! And best wishes for a happy year to come._

_Love,_

_Casey_

Olivia was speechless as she opened the tiny box. It contained a beautiful pair of gold hoop earrings. She put them on immediately.

It was then that Casey emerged from the bathroom. She noticed that Olivia was not only wearing the earrings, but that her eyes were slightly glassy, as if she was going to cry.

"Olivia," Casey started meekly, "I'm sorry if it was too forward or rude or unprofessional. It's what I've been thinking about for awhile and…"

Casey was cut short by Olivia's mouth gently pressing against hers. It was a chaste kiss, one that could be considered innocent. Olivia slowly pulled away and smiled. Casey smiled right back at her.

"You still feel like going out?" Olivia said, "We could just hang out here—watch a movie, make some popcorn, you know the usual girl stuff."

"That sounds like a plan, Detective," Casey said strongly, "But I believe that I have some other activities in mind that most certainly do **not** fall under 'normal girl stuff'."

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we?" Olivia said with a wink, "But Case, I don't want to mess this up by moving too fast. So as much as it kills me, why don't we hold off on the sex for awhile?"

"Whatever you say, Liv."

And so the two women settled down on Olivia's couch, and eventually fell asleep in each other's arms.

**A/N:** **so that's the month of January. Next up: February! Valentine's Day—and you know what that means—I might be inclined to give some smut a try. ONLY IF YOU REVIEW THOUGH, PEOPLE!**


	2. February

February

Casey and Olivia had been dating for almost a month when Valentine's Day approached. After the first night they spent sleeping on Olivia's couch, things seemed to look up for both the Detective and the ADA. Each felt that the daily stresses of their jobs would melt away once they were together.

Casey was planning what she was going to do to make Valentine's Day special for her girlfriend. She figured that she would cook dinner at her place—and, if the mood was right, she would tell Olivia that she was falling in love with her. Casey decided that she should get to work on the planning, seeing as the big day was only one night away.

As Olivia Benson walked into the precinct on the morning of the 13th, the last thing on her mind was work. She, of course, realized that Valentine's Day was tomorrow and she was anxious. Never in her whole life had she actually looked forward to Valentine's Day. She never really had someone special to share it with—that was, until she met Casey. Olivia knew that Casey had planned for the two of them to have dinner at her apartment, and they both agreed not to buy each other presents. Instead, they decided that they would give something that wasn't material—this way it would be much more personal for them.

The 13th continued like any other day, leaving Olivia working at her desk into the early hours of the morning. Elliot, of course, was there with her.

"So," he said, "do you and Casey have any big plans for tomorrow?"

"Not really, but I…" she started, "wait, how did you know that Casey and I were dating? Did she tell you?"

"I'm offended, Liv." He stated plainly, "You don't think that I can read you like a book by now? Please, I knew that you had the hots for Casey before you did. All I can say is that it's about damn time."

Olivia looked at him and smiled.

"So, have you two had sex yet?"

"Elliot! I'm not discussing my sex life with you!"

"I'll take that as a 'no'" he said with a laugh.

"Not that it's any of your business," she informed him, "but I didn't want to ruin things by moving too quickly."

"Oh my gosh, Liv. You love her." He said rather simply.

Olivia looked at him for a long time before answering. "Yeah," she said, "I guess I do. Do you think it's too soon?"

"Liv, if it's love, it's never too soon."

"You sound like a fortune cookie, Elliot!" she joked, "and since when are you the relationship expert?"

He knew that she was joking, and even though his relationship with Kathy usually made him sad—especially now—he joined Olivia in her laughter. Their laughs echoed throughout the empty squad room until Olivia finally was able to go home for a few hours.

The next day was a crazy one for both Casey and Olivia. Three cases were settled between both the police and the DA's offices, and they were well on their way to completing a fourth. If they kept up this pace, the record would be broken by the end of the year.

Olivia and Casey ran into each other only once, at the courthouse at around noon. They barely had time to talk to each other before each had to run in their respective directions. With a quick kiss and a "see you later," they continued with their insanely busy days.

Miraculously, both women were actually done at work by 7:30. Olivia took a cab back to her apartment, and got ready as fast as she could. She then departed for Casey's.

When she got there, Casey eagerly answered the door. "Hey, Liv! Happy Valentine's Day! Come on in."

"Thanks, babe. Happy Valentine's Day! It smells awesome in here! What are you cooking?"

"I honestly don't know," she giggled as she took Olivia's coat, "I just threw some stuff in a pan and hoped for the best."

"If you made it, I'm sure it tastes wonderful." Olivia said, as she walked up behind Casey who was now fussing over the salad. She tried to take a tomato from the bowl that her girlfriend was dealing with. Casey quickly swatted away her hand.

"Oh, no," Casey said, turning around, "none of that." Her lips met Olivia's in passionate kiss. "At this rate," she continued, "I'll never get dinner done!"

About 20 minutes later, the two women finally sat down to eat.

"This is delicious, Casey. I had no idea you could cook!"

Casey blushed a little. "My parents weren't around very much when I was growing up—they always had one party or another—so I was pretty much left to make dinner for myself and my younger sister. I'm afraid I can't do much more than this, though."

Olivia smiled, "I have to admit it Case, I've never looked forward to Valentine's Day before…I never had someone to share it with and now that I have you, well, things are looking up."

"I feel the same way, Liv. I haven't even dated in years…my past relationships were absolute disasters…but, I already feel something different with you."

Olivia smiled. They continued to eat in comfortable silence. After they had finished dinner, Olivia tried to help Casey clean up.

"You don't have to, Liv. I'll be done in a minute. Besides, dinner was my gift to you; you shouldn't have to clean it."

Reluctantly, Olivia sat back down. She watched was Casey ran around the kitchen cleaning up the remains of their dinner.

When she was done, they sat on Casey's couch. "What do you want for dessert?" Casey asked.

"You." Olivia said simply and leaned over to kiss Case passionately.

"Wait, are you sure? I thought you said you wanted to wait for a while." Casey questioned between kisses.

"Absolutely. I think I love you, Case."

"You think?" Casey laughed, "Well, Olivia, I think that I possibly might love you, too. But are you completely sure you want to?"

"Yes, Casey. More than anything. That is, if you want to."

Casey didn't answer. She just swung on leg over Olivia's and started kissing her.

"That means yes?" Olivia jokingly questioned.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

Olivia's laugh was lost on Casey's lips as they met in another fiery kiss.

Casey reached down between their bodies and slowly started unbuttoning Olivia's shirt. One by one the buttons came undone, each time revealing a little more of Olivia that Case had yet to see. Once Casey had successfully unbuttoned Olivia's shirt, she slid it slowly off of the detective's shoulders. Olivia gasped when the cold air hit her skin. She quickly pulled at the edges of Casey's top and pulled it off easily. She paused for a moment.

"Are you ok, Liv?" We can stop now if you want.

"No, no! I'm fine…it's just you **do** have a bedroom, don't you?"

Casey giggled and pointed to the closed bedroom door. Olivia picked Casey up in her arms and started making her way towards the other end of the apartment.

"My, Detective Benson, how chivalrous you are!" Casey said in a mock southern accent.

"Just trying to do my job, Miss Novak."

"What job would that be?" Casey said sexily.

"Making you scream while I'm inside you." Olivia said calmly.

By the time Olivia had completed the trip to the bedroom, Casey had never been more turned on in her life. Olivia gently laid Casey on the bed and got to work undressing her. She reached behind Casey and unclasped her bra, letting in fall off her pale shoulders.

Olivia stared in appreciation at the newly exposed flesh. She looked into Casey's eyes, which were darkened almost to the point of blackness. She kissed the attorney's lips quickly and fervently. She moved down her body, placing quick kisses on her collarbone and finally her breasts. She took a pale nipple in her mouth and lavished it with kisses. Casey let out a slight moan at the soft touch of Olivia's tongue.

The small sound was all it took to encourage Olivia to continue further down Casey's body. She placed random kisses down the long expanse of the blonde's torso. She slowly unzipped the jeans of her lover and slid them down her alabaster thighs. Her panties soon followed.

Olivia couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Is my nakedness funny to you, Detective?"

"No, you're absolutely stunning—it's just that I almost forgot you were naturally a redhead!"

"Real mature, Liv!" Casey countered, but was cut short by Olivia spreading the counselor's legs as far as they would go.

"Please, Olivia…"

"Please what, honey? What do you want?"

"Everything." She sighed.

That was all the coaxing that Olivia needed, as she immediately entered the woman beneath her with a single finger. She slowly kissed the skin directly above Casey's hipbone as she thrust her finger in and out.

"Liv…oh my gosh…please…more." Casey moaned. She couldn't make any coherent sentenced.

Olivia smiled against Casey's hip and added another finger. She could tell Casey was close, and when she started to tighten around Olivia's fingers, Olivia lowered her head and captured the sensitive bud in her mouth. That sent Casey over the edge.

Casey barely managed a hoarse "Oliiiiiiva!" before she nearly passed out.

Olivia crawled up to the top of the bed and held Casey as she came down from her high.

"Wow," Casey sighed when she could finally breathe again, "that was arguably the best Valentine's Day present in the history of the world."

Olivia laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Now it's your turn," Casey said a little sleepily.

"Nope. Not tonight. That was your present. Now we both have to get some sleep—it's late and we **do** have to go to work tomorrow."

Casey smiled. "You're staying, right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Olivia said as she continued to hold Casey in her arms.

**A/N:** so that was my first attempt at smut! I'm sorry if it sucked. Please review (but be gentle!) March is next—be prepared for a lot of green. :-)


	3. March

**A/N: I apologize for the liberties I'm taking with the character's personal lives in this one—and for the references to Irish Step Dancing…I took it for 10 years so St. Patrick's Day is synonymous with dancing. **

March

Casey was swamped at work. It seemed like as the weather got nicer, the crime rate in New York City increased. She was handling about 9-10 cases a week, double what she was used to. Of course, if she was this busy, she knew that her girlfriend had to be even busier. She hadn't even talked to Olivia in days, and going on a date with her was out of the question. They had become more intimate since Valentine's Day, and Casey loved every minute that they spent together, but she wished that the time they had wasn't so infrequent.

Just then, Casey's phone rang. "Casey Novak's office," she said automatically.

"Hello, counselor," she heard the familiar voice of her girlfriend on the other end say, "are you busy?"

"Hi, sweetie, I'm busier than I've ever been in my whole life." She responded sadly.

"Do you think you can get away for a few hours tonight?"

"Yeah, I think so. I have a night-court arraignment at 9, so it won't be until after that. Is that too late?"

"For you? Never." Olivia said, "Pick you up outside the court house at like 9:30?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Great. Then we can go celebrate!"

"Celebrate what, Olivia?" Casey asked, confused.

"St. Patrick's Day! Duh!"

Casey laughed. "Is that today? I can't believe I forgot!"

"…and you call yourself Irish! Ok, I have to run. We'll talk later. Love you!"

"Love you too, 'bye!" She said quickly before she heard the click on the other end.

Her upcoming date with Olivia made her happier than she had been all day, and because she was running on some kind of emotional high, the rest of the day passed very quickly.

When she arrived at night court, she was prepared to fight tooth and nail to get the suspect remanded without bail. She argued as hard as she could, and in the end the judge agreed with her. There was no way he was getting out of jail before trail. Satisfied, Casey turned around to see Olivia sitting in the back of the courtroom. She waved excitedly, realizing that she looked like a 5-year-old only after the fact. She laughed at her own stupidity, grabbed her stuff, and headed over to Olivia.

"I thought you were just going to pick me up outside!" She said.

"I know, but I got off work early and I just love watching you do your job." Olivia whispered into Casey's ear, "I see you're dressed for the occasion. Did you go home and change?" she asked, noting the abundance of green in Casey's outfit.

"Um, no," Casey said sheepishly, "I just wear green a lot."

"I know."

They walked to a local bar down the street, one where cops usually frequented.

"It's so crowded here!" Casey observed.

"Duh! At least half the cops in the city are Irish, Case."

"I know why it's crowded, Olivia, but don't you care what your colleagues will say about you?"

"Casey, I'm a female cop. Most of them just assume that I'm gay already. It's not fair, and if I was straight I'd be pissed as hell, but this time it works in my favor. Are you okay with it?"

"Please, if I cared what people thought of me, do you really think I'd be a lawyer?"

"Good point." Olivia laughed as they walked arm-in-arm into the establishment.

Olivia got them both beers (dyed green for the occasion) and they sat down in a small booth in the corner.

"So, counselor, just how Irish are you?"

"Very. I grew up taking Irish Dancing for 12 years."

"You danced?" Olivia questioned.

"I tried. My sister was much better at it than I was. She always won medals at the competitions—they're called _feises_—I, unfortunately, pretty much sucked at it."

"I'm sure that's not true, Casey. Did you do it year-round?"

"Yep. Three 2-hour classes a week, plus camps in the summer. That's not counting competition training, the actual competitions, or the dance-outs we always had around this time of year."

"Dance-outs?" Olivia was intrigued.

"Yeah…around St. Patrick's day we were always going to one nursing home or another dancing for old people…or, my favorite—nuns."

"Sounds like fun. Teach me."

Casey almost spit out her dyed-green beer, "What?!"

"Teach me to Irish Dance." She repeated.

"Here? Now?!"

"Yeah, am I speaking Gaelic?"

"I think I need a few more drinks before I do that, sweetie." Casey said quickly and ordered another beer.

A few hours and even more beers later, Olivia asked Casey once again if she would teach her to dance.

"Right here in front of everyone?" Casey barely slurred.

_She's adorable when she's drunk_. Olivia thought.

"Yeah, Case. Right here. Right now."

Casey looked around. Although the room was spinning slightly, she noticed that there were still a ton of people there. "Fine." She conceded.

She took Olivia's hand and led her to the dancing area of the bar. Luckily, there was some Irish music playing through the speakers. It was bad Irish music, but it would have to do.

"Okay," Casey started, "let me show you first and then I'll teach you."

"Go for it," Olivia said as she gestured towards the vacant dance floor (cops weren't very big on dancing, apparently).

Casey listened for the beat of the music, trying to identify which kind of dance she needed to do. _Ok, it's a reel. _She decided mentally. _You can do this, just try to remember it_. She waited for the beginning of eight counts, and began her dance. She was surprised how much she remembered, and once she completed it, she suddenly became very embarrassed. She looked at Olivia.

"That was beautiful, Case." She said, "Now show me."

"Thanks, Liv," Casey said, a little out of breath, "I'm not gonna teach you that one—we'd be here all night! I'll teach you an easy one, ok?"

"What, you doubt my dancing abilities?" Olivia teased.

"Shut up!" Casey shot back, "do you want to do this or not?"

Casey took hold of Olivia's hand and said, "Here, watch my feet."

Casey slowly did a step she remembered from when she was really young—a simple one that practically anyone could do.

Olivia tried to match her movements, but failed miserably. Casey wasn't sure if her girlfriend's footwork was impaired by alcohol or she was just generally a bad dancer, but either was it was funny. Casey started to laugh hysterically.

"Ok, Liv." Casey said, "Don't quit your day job."

"I'm offended, Casey!" Olivia joked.

"Yeah, yeah—just take me home, Detective," was Casey's reply.

"Your home or mine?"

"I'll leave that up to you." Casey said with a wink and a small kiss on Olivia's lips.

With that, Casey grabbed her stuff and bolted out the door, shouting over her shoulder, "Come on, Liiiiv! I wanna go!!"

Olivia looked at her girlfriend's retreating figure and smiled. _Wow. _She thought. _I love her_.

**A/N: **Admittedly, this chapter was out of character and slightly stupid, but I had no idea what else to do for March. Next is April…I might need some ideas for that one. Any feedback is appreciated. My goal is to break 30 reviews throughout the course of this story—and with 12 chapters it shouldn't be that hard, people!!


	4. April

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews! If you all keep it up, this story will reach 30 reviews in no time! Thanks also for the ideas for April. I loved them all, but I decided to go in a different direction with this chapter…it's not as fluffy as the others. Not to worry, though. I believe it's only temporary. And, I'm sorry in advance for the teeny-weeny smidge of Alex interference that pops up in the beginning of this chapter. **

April

They say that "April showers bring May flowers". If Casey and Olivia's relationship was any indicator, then May would be a month full of blossoms. But that was in the future. April was proving to be a hard month for both Casey and Olivia. Their offices were well on their way to breaking the all-time record for most cases resolved, but even their hectic work schedule wasn't the biggest problem that they faced.

It began one night in the middle of the month. Olivia and Casey were lying in bed in Olivia's apartment, having just completed an intense session of love-making. Olivia had her arms around Casey's shoulders, and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Liv?" Casey said hesitantly.

"Yes, babe?" Olivia sighed absent-mindedly.

"Do you think that I'm a competent attorney?"

"Casey, sweetie, you are beyond competent—and not just at being an attorney. Your bedroom skills are quite above par as well," Olivia teased. "Why do you ask?"

Casey smiled slightly. "It's nothing…just that jerk we love to hate Trevor Langon getting on my nerves."

"What did he say this time, babe?"

"I don't remember exactly." She lied, "just something about not being able to win a case…"

Olivia sensed that something was wrong. "…and?" she said hesitantly.

"…and that if I was Alex I would have been able to get it done." She paused for a second. "I just thought that all of this shit was over with." She added sadly.

"Trevor is an ass."

"But he's right."

"No, sweetie. He's not. You did the best you could, I'm sure." Olivia said, looking into Casey's eyes.

"But my best isn't good enough most of the time."

"Come on, Case. Stop over-reacting. No, you're not Alex. You're Casey. Could she have won the case? Maybe. I don't know. But you can't beat yourself up over it. You just can't. This is your job. She's not coming back."

Casey felt a lump in her throat. She had always thought that Olivia and Alex had some sort relationship before Alex had been moved into the Witness Protection Program, but she had never asked. "Do you…want her to come back?" Casey said slowly.

"For what? To be my friend again? Yes. I miss her. But to be our ADA? No. We have you, and you're perfect."

"Did you love her, Olivia?" Casey was tired of beating around the bush, so the question came out harsh and fast.

Olivia looked at her blankly for a second. "Love her how?" she asked meekly.

"You know what I mean, Olivia. Did you lay here like this with her? Did you tell her that you loved her?"

Olivia sighed heavily. "Alex and I had a relationship…of sorts. But Casey, please---"

Olivia was cut off. "Of sorts? What they hell does that mean, Olivia?"

"We had sex a few times," Olivia almost stopped talking when she saw the look of hurt cross Casey's face, "but Casey, I never even began to love her the way I love you."

Casey got out of the bed and stood up. She quietly began to cry. "I'm sick of all of this." She said simply.

"Of what, Casey?"

"Being the fucking replacement for everything! The unit needs a new ADA, let's just get Casey to do it." She said, her volume increasing, "Olivia needs a new girl to fuck, let's just get Casey to do it!"

"Casey! Our relationship is not just about sex, and you know that! Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I've felt this way from the second I've walked into SVU! I'm just 'that girl who took over for the one that got shot'. I didn't expect you to be completely celibate before we got together, but the fact that when everyone else looks at me, they see Alex makes me wonder if you do, too."

"I don't even know what to say to that, Casey." Olivia shot back, "I love you, but if you don't believe it, then there's nothing else I can do."

"I've said all I can, Olivia. I think it's best for me to go home now," she said as she started gathering her clothes that were strewn about the room.

"You don't have to, Casey."

"Yes, I think I do." And with that and a quick "I'll see you tomorrow," Casey left Olivia in her apartment alone.

But Casey didn't see Olivia the next day, or the day after. In fact, a full week later they still had not seen each other. It was almost the end of April and the showers (that really were more like storms) showed no signs of slowing. Olivia sat at her desk with a sad expression on her face.

"Trouble in paradise?" Elliot's voice shocked her.

"What? No! Everything's fine, really." Olivia snapped back defensively.

"You know, Liv, for a cop you suck ass at lying. Spill it."

Olivia sighed. There was no hope in trying to hide it. "Casey and I had a fight." She admitted.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." He said smoothly, "What about?"

"Elliot, thanks for trying to help but I really don't want to talk about it."

"That bad, huh?" he questioned.

"Yeah, that bad." She paused for a moment before continuing, "She, uh, doesn't trust me."

"You mean she thinks you're cheating?"

"No," Olivia said, weighing her words, "She thinks that I loved—love—Alex more than her."

"Do you?" Elliot asked. He wasn't afraid of what her reaction would be.

"No. Not even close. With Alex it was all about the sex. I thought that I might love her, but the feelings weren't exactly mutual. But what I felt with Alex doesn't even begin to compare to how I feel with Casey."

"Well tell her that!"

"Don't you think I tried, Elliot?! She just got mad and stormed out of my apartment. I haven't seen her since. I'm a mess, Elliot. I don't know what to do." She said, almost on the verge of tears. She held herself together for the sake of her dignity and nothing else. She would not be reduced to a weeping blob in front of her partner.

"Have you tried calling her?"

"Yes, Elliot! I've left voicemails, sent emails, I've even sent messages to her office via courier, but still she hasn't even tried to contact me. I just…" she stopped for a minute, trying so hard to hold in the tears. Her voice was shaky and she knew it. "I just want to tell her that I'm sorry that she doesn't trust me—that no matter what, I'll always be honest and faithful to her. And that I love her more than I've loved anyone and we've only been going out four months." When she was finished, a single tear escaped down her cheek.

Elliot remained silent.

As if it was an afterthought, Olivia added, "I just don't know how I'm going to tell her when she won't even talk to me."

"You don't have to," came from a tear-filled voice behind her, "she heard everything."

Olivia turned around slowly to see Casey standing there, smiling.

It looked as though the skies were beginning to clear after all.

**A/N: So this was the hardest so far to write. I know, I know, I hate Alex interference as much as you do, but I swear I just needed to get that out of my system. I hope you liked it. May is next—picnic in the park, perhaps? We shall see. **


	5. May

May

It was a beautiful day in May, and Casey and Olivia were determined to enjoy the first day off they both had in months. The stormy skies of April had cleared and flowers were beginning to bloom.

Olivia woke up at 8, a full two hours later than she normally would. She slowly opened her eyes, afraid that if she opened them too quickly the bright sunlight coming from the window would surely blind her. She turned over, reaching for Casey. She was surprised to find that Casey was no longer in bed. She panicked for a moment, wondering where her girlfriend had gone. She paused for a second and heard the shower turn on quietly. She smiled to herself.

Olivia got out of her bed, stretched, and preceded to walk into her bathroom. The thick air of Casey's hot shower hit her immediately. She could see Casey's silhouette behind the bathroom curtain. Olivia grinned wickedly and crept up to the curtain.

Casey never heard Olivia come in. She had woken up at 7:45, and decided to take a shower before Olivia got up. She was half-way through washing her hair when Olivia scared her half to death by pouncing up to the curtain.

Casey screamed, "Olivia! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Olivia, who at this point had shed all of her clothing, pulled back the curtain. "I'm sorry sweetie. I couldn't help it. It was too easy." She laughed. "Scoot over a little and let me in?"

"Only if you promise never to scare me while I'm in the shower ever again! I saw _Psycho_ at a sleepover when I was 15 and it still gives me nightmares!"

"It's a promise," Olivia said as she climbed into the shower with Casey, "I'm sorry, babe. Maybe I can make it up to you?"

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Casey asked facetiously, turning around so she was facing Olivia.

"Well, for starters, I can start by doing…" Olivia bent slightly to capture Casey's mouth with her own, "this." She finished as she pulled away.

Casey pulled them backwards so that they were right in the middle of the stream of water coming down from the shower head. "Well," she said as she continued to kiss Olivia, "That's a start."

Olivia started placing light kisses all over Casey's neck. Casey leaned back against the shower wall and groaned in response. Olivia smiled at the reaction she was getting and continued further down her lover's body.

When Olivia reached Casey's breasts, she teased one nipple with her fingers while taking the other into her mouth. Casey's eyes shuttered closed and she gripped Olivia's hair in response. Olivia switched breasts and with her free hand moved lower down Casey's slim body.

Casey spread her legs slightly, as there wasn't much room to move about in the shower. Olivia quickly pushed a finger into the space where her thighs met and was delighted to find wetness that certainly was not from the shower.

Olivia released Casey's nipple and moved back up to her mouth. "Look at me, Case." She whispered.

Casey opened her eyes just as Olivia slid the entire length of her index finger into where she needed it most. Casey gasped. Olivia began to thrust her finger in and out of Casey's body. Casey's scream was muffled by Olivia's mouth on her own, their tongues battling for control.

Casey pulled her mouth away only for a second. "Please, Liv. More." She rasped.

Olivia gladly obliged and smoothly slid two more fingers into Casey, using her thumb to play with Casey's sensitive clit. Casey was nearing the edge as she tightly clenched Olivia's hair in her hands. Olivia began to thrust harder, imitating with her tongue in Casey's mouth what her fingers were doing.

Casey let out a strangled yelp as quickly rode the crest of her orgasm. Olivia held Casey up for support and pulled her fingers out of her lover. She smiled when Casey opened her darkened green eyes. She was absolutely gorgeous.

Casey smiled right back at her. "Your turn!" she said excitedly. Casey flipped positions so that Olivia was in front of the tiny seat that was perched on the wall of the shower.

"Sit and spread 'em," she commanded.

Olivia was more than happy to comply. She sat on the edge of the seat and spread her legs. Casey kissed down Olivia's body; much like Olivia had done to her earlier, taking extra time on each nipple, sucking and biting it gently.

Casey settled herself right between Olivia's legs. She licked and kissed a path up the insides of Olivia's thighs, stopping right before she got to Olivia's more than ready center.

"Please, Casey," was all that Olivia had to say.

Casey immediately started orally assaulting Olivia's folds. She licked all around, but never quite touched where Olivia needed her the most. After several more moments of teasing, Casey finally hit Olivia's ultra-sensitive spot. She then slid a single finger into Olivia's depths. It seemed like mere seconds before Olivia came loudly.

Casey held out her hand to help Olivia off of the ledge.

"I suppose we should get back to the actual shower now, no?" Casey said coyly.

"I suppose you're right." Olivia said with a wink.

They quickly finished their shower, and Olivia wrapped her arms around Casey. They stood there holding each other until the water became too cold to stay any longer.

They got out, dried off, and got changed.

"Feel like breakfast?" Olivia offered. "I can try to make some pancakes."

"As awesome as that sounds, Liv, I was hoping that we could go to the park for an early picnic lunch."

Olivia looked at the clock. "Case, sweetie, it's 9 in the morning. No lunch is that early!"

"I know, Olivia! I mean in like two hours. But if we eat now, we won't be hungry then."

"Sounds amazing, babe. We can walk down the street to pick up some stuff and then walk to the park. Let me just call Elliot and tell him where I'll be—God only knows if I'll need to be called in." She said as she walked into her bedroom, "I'll be out in a second. Why don't you put some sunscreen on, Case? You're so pale that I doubt you have to stay in the sun for five minutes before you're totally burned!"

"Ok, thanks for the advice _Mom_!" Casey yelled jokingly at Olivia's retreating figure.

_That reminds me_, Casey thought as she started to coat any inch of exposed skin with sunscreen, _how the hell am I going to tell Olivia that my parents are coming to visit next month and they want to meet her?_

As Casey was pondering what she was going to do about her parents, Olivia came back in and smiled. "Ok, I talked to El. We're good to go. Are you ready?"

"Yep!" Casey said excitedly and stood up.

Olivia laughed. "Not quite!" She said as she wiped a huge glob of sunscreen off of Casey's nose and kissed her, "There. Now you're ready."

Casey laughed and grabbed Olivia's hand as they walked out of the apartment.

It was a beautiful day in May, and Casey and Olivia were determined to enjoy the first day off they both had in months.

**A/N: Ok, it was kind of short, but hey, it was smutty, and that makes up for it, right? June brings the arrival of Casey's parents. Whoo! I have no idea what they would be like, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!**


	6. June

June

It was June. The weather was hot and work had slowed down considerably for Casey and Olivia. On this particular Saturday, the women were on their way to JFK airport to pick up Casey's parents.

"I can't believe you just told me yesterday that they were coming!" Olivia scolded from the driver's seat. "How long have you known?"

"A while." Casey mumbled. She was not in the mood to play games this morning. She was nervous about her parents meeting Olivia.

"Do they know that they're meeting me? Do they know you're a lesbian? Are they going to mind if I'm driving?" The questions poured out of Olivia's mouth.

Casey thought it was cute that Olivia was this nervous. "Yes, yes, and probably." She said. "Don't worry, Liv. They'll love you."

"How can you be sure? I've never met the parents of the girl I was dating! Not once! I don't know what to say!"

"They'll love you because I love you, and fortunately they love me, so whoever I love, they love. It's like the Transitive Property or something."

Olivia laughed. "Casey! I almost failed Geometry in High School, so that means nothing to me." She said as she made a sharp right, narrowly avoiding another car.

"Relax! If you drive like that with my parents in the car they are definitely not going to like you!"

Olivia tried to keep her mind on the road. "Are they staying in a hotel?"

"Nope. My apartment." Casey answered matter-of-factly.

"Case, there's barely enough room for **you** in your apartment! How are all three of you going to stay there for a whole week?"

"We aren't. I'm staying with you."

Olivia once again almost hit another car. "Were you going to tell me that?!"

"Why, do you have other plans, Liv?" Casey joked.

"It just…are your parents ok with the idea of us staying together?"

"Liv! I'm 30, not 16! I'm sure my parents are well aware that I have a sex-life! Besides, they're cool about everything. They weren't mad or anything when I told them I was gay."

"When did you tell them?" Olivia asked, wanting to shift the conversation from the idea of Casey's parents knowing that she and Casey had sex.

"I was 17. I had known forever, and I think that they did too. That's probably why they didn't make a huge deal out of it." Casey paused for a moment, and then hesitated she was always cautious when asking questions about her past. "When did you tell your mom?"

Olivia knew the question was coming. She had prepared her answer mentally as soon as she asked Casey about her coming out. "I, uh, actually never did tell my mom. I doubt she cared one way or the other, though." Olivia looked at Casey for a second and smiled. Her eyes returned to the road ahead of her.

"Here we are!" Olivia said cheerily, glad to change the subject. "Look! And we're half an hour early, too!"

"Liv, where the fuck are we?" Casey said, looking out her window.

"The airport. Duh." Olivia said, oblivious to the panic in Casey's voice.

"I know _that_, Olivia. But this is JFK."

"JFK Airport, sweetie."

"Olivia, my parents are flying into Newark!"

"You never said that!" Olivia yelled, panicked.

"I'm sorry, I just assumed when I said 'airport' you'd know it was Newark!"

"How on earth would I have known that, sweetie? Plus, you couldn't have said something when you noticed we were going the wrong way?!" Olivia said as she started to pull away from the arriving gate of JFK.

"I was a little preoccupied!" Casey exclaimed. "I'll just call my parents and leave a message for when they land. As she said this, her phone began ringing.

The caller ID clearly flashed "Dad Cell" across the phone. _Crap._ Casey thought.

"Hello?" Casey said as she picked up the phone. "Hi, Daddy! Already? Early?! Ok, there's a ton of traffic. Why don't you and Mom go get something to eat, Olivia and I will be there soon. I'll call you when we're close. Ok. Love you too. Bye."

"That did not sound good." Olivia said as Casey hung up the phone.

"You think?" Casey said sarcastically. "How fast can you legally get there?"

"With this traffic, it's going to take over two hours, babe." Olivia responded sadly.

"Do you think that you could possibly bend the rules just this once?"

"Which rules, Case?" Olivia asked, suspicious.

"Can we turn the lights on?"

"You mean the cop lights? Case, I could lose my job!"

"Who's going to know? Please, Liv!" Casey pouted. "It is an emergency, after all!"

Olivia looked at Casey face, her bottom lip puffed out in a "puppy dog" face.

"I can't believe that you actually want me to break the law! You're the one who's usually so by-the-book!" Olivia sighed. She knew it was useless. "Fine, Case. But only until we get on the Parkway, ok?"

"Floor it." Was Casey's response.

The ensuing ride to the Garden State Parkway was one of the scariest experiences in Casey's life. Olivia's driving skills were adequate when she was driving as a civilian, but when she was driving as a cop, all consideration got thrown out the window. Casey watched as the other cars and the trees that they were passing blended together, creating streaks of color whizzing by the windows. There were several times when Casey didn't think she was going to make it out of the car alive. They surprisingly exited New York in a little over an hour and the arrived at Newark Airport not long after.

They parked in the parking deck and Casey called her father. "Hey Dad! Olivia and I just parked. Where can we meet you? Really? Oh, ok. We'll go out then. Alright. See you in a minute."

"Where are they?" Olivia asked.

"They're waiting at the baggage claim—still. They haven't eaten, so I said we'd take them out. You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Are there any last minute things I should know about your parents before we go through with this?"

"Well," Casey said, "My dad was in the military, so just stay clear of anything having to do with the War. My mom loves to do anything outside—hiking, swimming, sailing, you name it and she does it. So you'll get along fine."

"Ok. No war. Outdoors. Got it." Olivia said nervously. "Here's baggage claim."

"Casey!" they heard booming voice say from behind them. Olivia braced herself and then turned around.

"Dad! Mom!" Casey called out. "It's so good to see you! This is Olivia." She said, pointing to her girlfriend.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Novak. Nice to meet you!" Olivia said, praying that her voice didn't crack or that her hands weren't too sweaty when she shook Casey's father's hand.

"Please, Olivia, call us Robert and Colleen," Casey's mother said as she smiled warmly, "After all, the way Casey talks about you, it seems as though we're going to have something to do with each other for a very long time!"

Olivia smiled and tried not to blush. For the first time, she took the time to really look at Casey's parents.

Her mom was on the tall side, probably about Olivia's height. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds, just like Casey's did. Her red hair was pulled up high into a bun, sitting like a crown on top of her head. Her smile was warm and inviting, and she carried herself with a sense of pride and regality.

Robert Novak was a big man. He was a least 6'5". He had a booming voice that commanded the attention of everyone in the room (now Olivia could see where Casey got her orating skills from). Although at first glance he was very intimidating, when he smiled his entire face lit up and he looked happier than Santa Claus on Christmas morning. His white hair was gelled neatly to the side, and Olivia got the feeling that he only wore suits.

"So Olivia," Robert began, "Casey tells us that you're a cop."

"Yes, sir." She said confidently. "I work in the Unit that Casey tries cases for."

Mr. Novak gave a silent nod. Whether it was from approval or recognition, Olivia couldn't tell.

"Is there somewhere we can go to eat, sweetie?" Colleen asked her daughter. "The flight from Colorado is such a long one, especially without food. Your father and I are starving."

"I know where we can go, ma'am." Olivia said politely.

"Olivia, if you call me ma'am one more time—I'll kick you!" Colleen said defiantly.

Olivia smiled inwardly. _Casey must have gotten her spunk from her mother!_ She thought.

"Olivia was telling me about this great Thai place that's near my apartment. Do you guys think you can hold out that long?" Casey asked her parents.

"Of course we can, baby." Casey's father responded.

The foursome walked to where the car was parked and began the long trek over the bridge. Olivia drove, with Casey's father in the front seat. Casey and her mother sat in the back. Luckily, Casey kept the conversation going through the majority of the car ride, letting Olivia concentrate on the road.

Before long, they arrived at the Thai place and ordered their food. They all ate, making comfortable conversation. Some time during the end of the meal, Casey and her mother excused themselves from the table to use the restroom, leaving Olivia and Mr. Novak alone.

_Please don't speak to me. Please don't speak to me._ Olivia thought over and over.

"Why are you so nervous, Olivia?" Robert asked in his boisterous voice.

_Shit._ Olivia thought. "I'm just worried about making a good impression, Mr. Novak." Olivia concluded, looking away.

"You really care about my Casey, don't you?" He said in response.

It killed Olivia that she was _his_ Casey, but she calmly responded, "Yes, I really do."

"I can see that." He told her.

Olivia smiled. "Good," she said, "because I want to make her happy, and quite honestly I can see myself spending the rest of my life with her, but I know she'll never agree to it if you don't approve. She loves you so much."

Now it was Mr. Novak's turn to smile. "I know. She was always Daddy's Little Girl. She always wanted to please her mother and me. And, Olivia, what you said about spending the rest of you life with her…"

Olivia braced herself for the upcoming statement. _Breathe._ She reminded herself, but to no avail.

"…when you think the time is right, I want you to know that you have my blessing. I think that you'll make my little girl very happy, and I hope you know how special she is."

"I do. Thank you, Mr. Novak." Olivia choked out, releasing the breath she'd been holding.

"Oh, and Olivia?"

"Yes, Mr. Novak?" Olivia responded tentatively.

"Call me Robert."

Olivia smiled. "Ok."

Casey and her mother returned to the table. She looked at Olivia and a million thoughts rushed through her head.

_Oh my gosh! What did Dad do?! Olivia looks like she's been crying! I swear if he gave her the interrogation that he gave the last girl I brought home, I'm never speaking to him again. Granted, the last girl I brought home wasn't half as perfect as Olivia. Or as pretty. Or as funny. Or—Casey! Get a hold of yourself! Pay attention to what your mother is saying! Stop talking to yourself!_

Casey snapped out of her trace just in time to hear her mother say, "…lime goddess."

_What the fuck? _She thought. _I'm not even going to guess what she was talking about…_

After their dinner was completed, Casey got her parents settled into her apartment and then headed back to Olivia's.

"Well," Casey said, plopping down on Olivia's couch and kicking off her shoes, "that was delightful."

"It was fine, Case." Olivia said, sitting down next to her girlfriend and handing her a cup of tea.

"What are you talking about?! My father made you cry!"

"Oh…" Olivia started, "you noticed that."

"Yeah I noticed that. What did he say to you?! If it was the 'innocence of his little girl' speech again, I'm going to kill him. I…"

"Case! Relax!" Olivia told her with a laugh. "He wasn't threatening me! Quite honestly, he was approving of me."

"Seriously?!" Casey yelled, elated.

"Yeah, babe. Seriously. He even said that when the time is right, he'll gladly give his blessing when we decide to tie the knot."

"You told my **father** you wanted to marry me?!" Casey was confused. "Wait, you told my **father** that you wanted to marry me and he **agreed**?"

Olivia smiled sheepishly. "Well, yeah. It came up and…"

"Did you mean it?"

"Of course I meant it, why?"

"Because now that you mentioned it, my father will hold you to it Liv. There's no escaping it now—without, of course, facing dire consequences." Casey confessed.

"I don't have a problem with that." Olivia said, looking into Casey's eyes.

"You're perfect, do you know that?" Casey said, kissing Olivia gently.

'_You bet',_ Was all Olivia could think as she led Casey to her bedroom.

**A/N: So this was way different than what I originally thought. It was a long one, and I'm not really sure if it makes sense. I'm so sorry if it doesn't. I just wanted to get the "parent meeting" out of the way, because let's face it—we all knew they were going to approve of someone like Olivia, right? LOL. Ok, 4th of July next chapter! I think I'm going to get the whole Unit involved at the party! And I apologize for this obscenely long AN. I'm sure none of you read it all :-) **

**P.S.: This is the half-way point! 6 down, 6 to go!**


	7. July

**A/N: Ok this one is really, really silly. I had no idea what to do for it, so I just thought about what I do with my friends on the 4th of July. :-) enjoy!**

July

The sweltering heat of the city rose up to the rooftop of the 16th precinct. The squad was celebrating Independence Day, and Captain Cragen had decided to allow his detectives to have a party on the roof. That way, they were technically on duty (if they needed to be) and they could still have a good time.

"Happy Fourth of July, Liv!" Elliot said as she arrived. "Where's your better half?"

Olivia smiled. "She'll be here in a little while; she just had to get some things from home first."

"So how are things going with you two any way?" Elliot asked tentatively.

"Great." Olivia decided confidently. "I can't believe it's only been seven months! I mean, just a few weeks ago, I basically promised her I'd marry her and…"

"What now?" Munch said, interrupting the conversation. "Did I hear you say that you were planning to marry our little legal eagle?"

Olivia began to blush. "Well, yeah…" she started, looking to Elliot for support.

He threw up is hands in a "you're on your own" gesture, and it took all of Olivia's strength not to show him _another_ _kind_ of gesture. With a small laugh, Elliot turned and went back into the building, muttering that he needed to get something.

"Hey, Fin, get your ass over here!" Munch called to his partner. "You have to hear this!"

"What's up?" Fin said, joining them.

"Olivia says that she's planning to…"

Olivia cut him off, "Please, John!" She said firmly. "It's nothing, Fin, really. I was just saying how I can't believe it's only been almost seven months with Casey and everything…"

"…and that…" Munch began again.

"John!" Olivia barked, "Seriously! Can we just drop it?!"

As she said this, the rooftop door creaked open and out came Casey with two large bags in her hands. She set them down next to Olivia and greeted everyone.

Munch looked at the two women suspiciously and dragged his partner away, letting Casey and Olivia talk privately.

Olivia stood next to Casey looking out onto the bustling streets below. They were so enamored with the conversation that they were having that they never heard Fin and Elliot sneak up behind them carrying a huge bucket of ice water.

With a loud "Happy Fourth of July," they dumped the frigid water on top of the women standing in front of them. They ran away as fast as they could, expecting Casey and Olivia to throw a fit at their now-soaked state.

The joke however was on them, as Casey and Olivia simultaneously screamed and reached down into the bags that Casey had brought with her. They pulled out several water balloons and (to the surprise of the rest of the squad) started throwing them at anyone in sight.

Munch quickly crouched behind a table, out of reach from the flying balloons. Casey threw one perfectly aimed balloon into the middle of Elliot's retreating back, while Olivia threw one that hit Fin square in the back of the head. Both men were caught completely off-guard. They turned around, shocked.

"Where the hell did you guys get those?" Elliot screamed as he was ducking the flying balloons.

"I brought 'em." Casey said matter-of-factly, as she continued to throw perfectly aimed balloons at her friends.

"You just happened to bring two huge bags full of balloons?" Munch asked doubtfully, carefully poking his head up from behind the table.

The only answer Munch received was a balloon hurled at his face from Olivia.

The women continued to fling the water balloons at their co-workers until the rooftop door creaked open. With what was probably the worst timing in the history of the world, Casey threw a balloon at Fin, who was standing not far from the door. At the exact moment that the door opened, Fin stepped away and the water balloon hit Captain Cragen in the center of his face.

"Shit." Everyone said at the same time.

"Who threw that?!" Cragen said, seemingly mad.

Casey braced herself and quietly raised her hand.

Cragen's face softened and he almost smiled. "Nice aim, counselor. The softball team is lucky to have you." With that, he went back down the stairs, closing the door behind him, leaving everyone stunned.

Casey and Olivia were the first ones to erupt with laughter. The rest of the gang soon followed suit.

"Nice work, Case." Olivia teased.

"Hey hey hey!" Casey said, still laughing. "It's not my fault! Fin's the one who moved!"

Casey shivered noticeably. The sun had gone down and it was cooler outside. She was soaked to the bone, and now she was freezing. Olivia noticed how her girlfriend was shaking.

"Be right back," she told Casey.

Olivia returned a few minutes later with a blanket from a bunk in the crib. She wrapped one end around her shoulder and then reached around Casey's slim form with the other.

"Thank you," Casey whispered as she snuggled against Olivia.

"Don't mention it." Olivia said as they sat down.

They sat there holding each other in the blanket, looking up at the sky, watching the fireworks that had just started.

Olivia looked over at Casey, whose face was lit up by each explosion in the sky. She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's cheek.

Casey smiled. "What was that for?" she asked.

"Just because." Olivia said, smiling, as she turned her attention back to the fireworks.

**AN: yes I know it was silly, but I feel the need to address something more serious: the extreme lack of SVU femslash on this site lately! I mean I don't _mind_ reading EO stories, but they just aren't the same as a good AO or CO story! I know you all can write, so please, please try to do so! I need to read more! Thanks!**


	8. August

August

It was a lazy afternoon in August. Olivia returned home from a busy work day early, because she had received a call from Casey informing her that she was sick as a dog and was going home to sleep.

Casey had officially made the move to Olivia's apartment earlier that month. She and Olivia spent a week moving all of Casey's stuff, sorting through what they could keep and what they couldn't, and getting the place comfortable enough for the two of them.

As Olivia walked into their home at 6:30, she wasn't surprised to find Casey lying in bed with all the blinds shut, and a fan blowing directly on her face.

"Hey sweetie," Olivia said quietly, noticing that Casey was awake. "How are you feeling?"

Casey gave a pathetic wave of acknowledgement. "Well," she began, and then stopped to cough. "I can't decide if I'm hot or if I'm cold, I'm coughing, sneezing, and vomiting non-stop, and my head hurts like a bitch." She whined.

Olivia kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed next to Casey.

"I'm sorry, Case." She said, feeling her girlfriend's head. "Wow! You're burning up, babe!"

"Tell me about it," Casey replied in a nasal-y voice that reminded Olivia of a small child's. "Last time I checked it was 102.3."

"That's not good."

"No shit." Casey said, turning to face Olivia. "How'd you get out of work?"

Olivia smiled. "Luckily for you, for some reason Captain Cragen seems to be a big fan of yours and when he found out you were sick, he practically forced me out the door!"

Casey laughed. "Yeah, well, what can I say? I have a way of getting people to like me."

"I'll say." Olivia replied. "So what'd you say to me hooking up the DVD player in here so we can just lay here together and watch some good movies?"

"Only if you promise not to be grossed out when I throw up in the middle of it!" Casey said.

"It'll take a lot more than that to gross me out, Casey. I'll even hold your hair back for you." Olivia offered.

"Now that's love." Casey said with a laugh.

"You know it." Olivia told her. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to grab the DVD player and a couple of movies and then I'll hook it up, change into my PJ's and jump into bed, okay?"

"Sounds perfect." Casey managed to say before she started having a coughing fit.

Olivia returned a few minutes later, the DVD player under one arm and a stack of movies in the other.

"Here, have a look at these," Olivia said as she tossed the movies to Casey, who was now sitting up in the bed.

Olivia got to work hooking up the equipment. She finished within minutes and quickly put on her pajamas.

"So what'll it be?" Olivia asked Casey.

"Well, I really want to laugh…" she said looking at the movies splayed out in front of her. "…and I think I'm in a 'classic' mood. So how about _Charade_?"

"I was hoping you'd pick that one." Olivia said as she popped in the DVD and snuggled into bed with Casey. The movie was one of her favorites. Although she didn't seem like it, Olivia was a huge Cary Grant fan. She owned almost all of his movies, and nothing made her happier when she found out that Casey had an affinity for old movies too.

About a half an hour into the movie, Casey looked up at Olivia.

"Hey Liv?" she started to say very seriously.

"Yeah, Case?"

"I just want you to know…" Casey began.

"What is it babe? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"…I just want you to know that if Cary Grant came back to life and asked me to run away with him, I'd be out of here so fast you'd be covered in my dust." She said, her demeanor changing instantly.

Olivia laughed. "You'd have to fight me for him, babe." She said, kissing Casey on the forehead.

They fell into a comfortable silence and eventually fell asleep.

Casey eventually woke up, blinked a few times, and then had the overwhelming urge to vomit. She leaned over the bed and towards the garbage can that had been put there just in case.

Just like she promised, Olivia was there to hold the hair out of Casey's face, as she emptied out the contents of her mostly-drained stomach.

Casey sat up and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.

"Eww." She said. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight." Olivia told her.

"Well, I'm officially not tired." Casey declared. "Are you?"

"Not now, no." Olivia told her. "When was the last time you ate, sweetie?"

"um…" Casey said, trying to remember. "Last night at dinner?"

"Case, you have to eat something." Olivia said. "I know it's hard for you to keep stuff down, but do you think you could try some toast or some plain rice?"

"I guess I could give toast a shot."

"Great. I'll go make you some. Be back in a minute, okay?"

"Okay. Don't burn it!" she yelled as Olivia left the room.

Olivia returned about five minutes later, tray in hand. She placed a rose across the top of the tray and lit a candle which she put next to the flimsy paper plate that held Casey's toast.

"Dinner is served, madam." Olivia said in a fake-proper tone.

Casey giggled as she saw the "feast" that was being put in front of her.

"You didn't have to do this, Liv." She said. "It's just toast."

"Aha, but this…" she said, pulling out a tiny box and placing it on top of the tray, "…it not just a present."

"Liv, what…" Casey began to ask.

"Not yet, missy." Olivia said. "You have to eat your toast before you can open it!"

"I'm not six, Olivia! You don't have to bribe me with presents to get me to eat my food!"

"Ah, but it works, doesn't it?"

"That's beside the point!" Casey said, a grin spreading across her cheeks.

"Just eat, counselor."

Casey did eat. Slowly but surely, Casey finished her toast completely.

"_Now_ can I open it?" Casey asked.

"One second," Olivia said, blowing out the candle and removing the tray from Casey's lap, putting it on the floor, "now you can open it."

Casey held the tiny black box in her hand. _This can't be what I think it is, can it?_ She slowly opened it and her breath caught in her throat when she saw what was inside.

"Casey," Olivia began, tears welling up in her eyes, "I love you so much. You've made me the happiest person alive and I've never loved anyone more than I love you. You are my sunshine and my moonlight; you are my day and my night. I can't imagine my life without you. I guess what I'm trying to say is: Casey Novak, will you marry me?"

Casey was speechless. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she took the small silver band with a beautiful diamond in the middle of what appeared to be two tiny emeralds and placed it on her finger.

She looked at Olivia, who at this point was crying. "Yes." She said finally. "Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes."

Olivia smiled the biggest smile Casey had ever seen in her life and kissed her _fiancé _hard on the mouth.

After several moments of hugging and kissing, Casey said, "You know, Liv. I think I am tired after all."

"Me too, Case. You have no idea how long I've been preparing that! I'm drained!"

Olivia wrapped her arms tightly around Casey.

"Not too tight, Liv! Keep that up and I won't be able to keep that toast down for long."

Olivia laughed. "Sorry. I'm just afraid that this is a dream and that if I don't hold on to you, you're going to disappear!"

"I'm not going anywhere Liv. Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight, babe."

They settled down into the bed, and just as they were falling asleep, Casey broke the silence.

"Liv?" She whispered.

"Mmm?" Came Olivia's reply.

"You know I didn't mean it when I said I'd run away with Cary Grant, right?"

"Yeah, Case." Olivia said, amused by Casey's guilt.

"Good. I love you."

"Love you too… Case?"

"Yeah?"

"Go to sleep."

**A/N:** **so I decided to take everyone's advice and get them engaged! Yay! I'm pretty sure the wedding will, in fact, be in October, because that's a month that doesn't have anything too special holiday-wise (yeah Halloween, but they have to get married some time, right?)**


	9. September

September

It was Labor Day weekend, and Casey and Olivia were celebrating. Not only because they had off from work, or because of their recent engagement, but because it was Casey's birthday.

"Where are we going anyway?" Casey questioned as Olivia urged her to finish getting ready for what seemed like the trillionth time.

"I told you—it's a surprise! As hard as it is for you, you're just going to have to be patient, sweetie." Olivia teased.

"Well what should I wear? Is it dressy? Are jeans okay? What top should I put on?" Casey fired questions at Olivia.

"Calm down, Case!" Olivia scolded as she dug through the shared closet. "Here we go!" She said triumphantly holding up the royal blue dress that Casey had worn on their first date.

Casey laughed. "That old thing? Why, detective, I do believe you've seen me in that on an occasion previous to this one." She joked.

"I know." Olivia said, coming dangerously close to Casey's ear. "But you just look so…" she accentuated the last two words with kisses, "…fucking sexy."

Casey blushed. She quickly shook herself out of the very dirty fantasy that was playing out in her mind. "Okay! Blue dress it is, then."

Olivia laughed, and began to gather her things. She had been ready for the past hour and a half, choosing to dress in black pants with a button-down shirt—it was essentially her "uniform".

They walked down the stairs, and when they got outside, they were greeted with air still thick with summer. It hit them like a punch in the gut. Olivia expertly hailed a cab, and held the door open for Casey.

Once inside, she gave the cabbie a piece of paper, with what Casey assumed, had their destination written on it.

Casey pouted. Olivia smiled at her and reached into her purse. She pulled out a long piece of material, which she placed over Casey's eyes.

"Whoa, Liv!" Casey said, surprised. "I wasn't aware that you were into the whole blindfold thing!" she joked.

"Very funny, Casey. For your information, I don't want you to see where we're going—you'll ruin the surprise!"

"Fine, Olivia. You leave me no choice. I'll just sing 'The Song the Never Ends' until you freaking tell me where we're headed."

"Way to be mature, Case."

"This is the song that never ends! It just goes on and on my friends! Some people started singing it…"

"Casey." Olivia tried to interrupt.

"…not knowing what it was and they'll keep singing it…"

"Casey!" Olivia tried one more time to stop the off-key singing of her fiancé.

"…forever just because it is the song that never ends! It just goes on…"

This time Olivia grabbed Casey's shoulders and kissed her hard on the mouth, hoping that it would be enough to silence the obnoxious song that she was certain was getting on the cab-driver's nerves.

Casey immediately shut up, and Olivia sat back with a self-satisfied smirk.

After about an hour of driving, the cab finally stopped. Olivia paid the man, and helped Casey out of the car.

"Can I please take this off now, Olivia?" Casey asked impatiently.

"Sure, Case. Now you can take it off."

Casey took of the blindfold and, after her eyes adjusted, looked around. They were at a small beach house, next to the ocean. The house was quaint, probably three bedrooms, from what Casey could tell. There was a sizeable expanse of sand before you actually got to the ocean, but Casey could guess that whoever lived here could hear the ocean crashing against the beach as they drifted off to sleep. She envied whoever owned this house—Casey loved the beach, she always had since she was a little girl.

"Where are we?" She asked Olivia suspiciously.

"The beach."

"Ha. Ha." Casey shot back. "Whose house is this?"

"Well, um, what if I told you that it was ours?" Olivia said quickly.

"I'd say that you were on crack or something because there is no way that you—we—could afford a house on the beach."

"Um, what if it was your wedding present from me and most of the squad?" Olivia told her seriously.

"You're kidding!" Casey said, getting slightly more excited.

"See for yourself." Olivia said, handing Casey a piece of paper.

Casey looked at what appeared to be a legal document of some sort. It was a deed to the house, in both her and Olivia's names. As she held the file in her hands, she felt her eyes begin to fill with tears.

"Olivia," she began, "this…how…how'd you know?"

"I had a little help." Olivia responded, wiping a tear from Casey's cheek. "Come on, you haven't even seen inside yet!"

Casey took Olivia's hand as they walked into the house.

"SURPRISE!!" was yelled at Casey from what seemed like a million places all at once. As she looked around, she saw the faces of everyone she loved and cared so much for, including her parents and her sister.

Olivia leaned in to whisper in her ear. "This," she said, "is your birthday present." She gave Casey a kiss on the cheek and led her further into the house.

The majority of the evening was spent with family and friends, reminiscing about events passed, and discussing events that had yet to unfold.

"So," Munch said, "when are you guys tying the knot? Halloween?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "Why? Are you planning on wearing **this** costume?" she said, gesturing towards Munch's entire ensemble. It was a game they had always played with each other.

"Touché, Counselor." He said with a smile. "But really, Casey, I want you to know how happy I am for you—both of you. Of course I was just teasing you about the whole Halloween thing. I'll be there…October 28th…I wouldn't miss it for the world, kiddo."

"It's on the 27th, Munch."

"Riiiiight. I knew that." He said, winking. "Happy Birthday!" he yelled over his shoulder as he walked off, most likely to get Fin to give him a ride home.

After Olivia and Casey had said good-bye to all of their guests, Olivia finally got the chance to show Casey around their new house.

"So I figure we can spend most weekends out here, and of course vacations and stuff." Olivia said to Casey when they were admiring the living room. "It's pretty secluded, so we don't have to worry about people bothering us, plus it's big enough for, you know, kids." She added hesitantly.

Casey nodded in amazement. She and Olivia never really talked about having kids. Of course Casey wanted them, but it really had to be a deliberate decision for the both of them. That was one perk to their relationship. There weren't any "surprises" when it came to kids.

"You want to have kids?" Casey managed to choke out.

Olivia nodded. "I never thought that I would, you know? I always thought I would screw them up. But when I think of us—our relationship, I can't imagine us being bad parents. Why, Case? Don't you want kids?"

"Of course. More than anything." Casey said, holding back tears. The entire day had been so much for her. She was emotionally spent, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Olivia gently kissed her. "Come on!" she said. "There's still one more surprise."

Casey braced herself. She couldn't imagine what else Olivia had in store for her.

Olivia led her to what Casey imagined was the master bedroom.

"You ready?" Olivia asked her.

"Yep." Casey answered.

Olivia opened the door to reveal that Casey was indeed correct in assuming that it was the bedroom. It was completely furnished in dark blues and light greens, and there were what seemed like dozens of candles, their flames flickering in the dim light.

"It's beautiful." Casey said, turning to Olivia.

"Just like you." Olivia concluded.

"Olivia," Casey began, "thank you. Thank you for everything. Everything is absolutely perfect, and I keep asking myself when I'm going to wake up from this dream. It doesn't seem real."

"Well," Olivia told her, "it is. And I can prove it."

"Oh yeah?" Casey said coyly. "How?"

Olivia didn't answer; she just leaned into Casey and kissed her passionately. She guided Casey back towards the bed, and gently laid her down on it. Olivia kissed her once again.

"Sit up so I can unzip your dress, babe." Olivia said, looking into Casey's emerald eyes.

Casey smiled as she sat up. Without warning, Casey grabbed Olivia's hips and flipped them over, so now Casey was on top of Olivia, straddling her.

"Wow." Olivia said. "I definitely was not expecting that. You're not as scrawny as you look counselor."

Casey laughed. "Yeah, well I'm all muscle." She said as she flexed.

"Right, all 60 pounds of you." Olivia said, laughing.

Casey smiled and began to unbutton Olivia's shirt, leaving a trail of kisses in her wake.

"Wait, Case." Olivia breathed.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Casey asked, thoroughly confused.

"It's your birthday. You should be getting the special treatment."

Casey grinned. "Please, Liv. You've been doing things for me all day. Just relax. Plus, we have all weekend. You'll have _plenty_ of time to give me 'special treatment'."

Olivia nodded. Casey resumed unbuttoning Olivia's dress shirt, which was proving to be very hard for her.

"Need a little help there, Case?" Olivia laughed.

Casey furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. "No! It's just this one…damn…button." Once again the material of the shirt slipped in her hands. "Fuck it." She said, as she ripped the rest of the buttons open, sending them flying in several directions.

"Hey, I liked this shirt!" Olivia said, grinning.

"Hopefully you'll enjoy this more!" Casey said, as she expertly unclipped Olivia's bra (and silently thanked whoever invented the ones the clasp in the front).

She carefully bent down and kissed the valley in between Olivia's breasts, and continued to place gentle pecks up to the swell of each breast, deliberately avoiding the nipple each time. She smiled when she felt Olivia writhe underneath her, obviously trying to direct Casey's mouth towards her already-hardened nipple.

Casey smile inwardly and complied. She took a pebbled nipple into her mouth and gingerly began to suck on it. Casey was rewarded with a gasp from her lover. She moved to the other nipple, giving it the same attention she had shown the other.

Casey moved lower down Olivia's body, taking the time to slowly pull the detective's pants off. Her panties soon followed.

Casey pulled her body back up so that she was face-to-face with Olivia once again. She kissed her deeply and teased Olivia's thighs with one hand.

"Casey." Olivia whispered. "Please."

"Please what, my love?" Casey said, knowing full well what Olivia meant.

"I need you." Olivia replied.

"Need me to what?" Casey teased. "Get you a drink of water?"

"You are evil. You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" Olivia groaned in mock-frustration.

"Every word." Casey smiled.

Olivia sighed. "Please, Casey. I need you inside of me."

Casey grinned. She willingly acquiesced and smoothly slid two long fingers inside Olivia. Olivia gasped in pleasure, and a moan was lost on Casey's lips, as she bent down Olivia.

Casey kept a steady rhythm in and out, in and out, and before long, Olivia was bucking her hips to meet each thrust of Casey's fingers. Casey quickened her pace when she felt Olivia's inner muscles contracting around her fingers.

"Oh God, Case." Olivia moaned. She let out one more yelp before she blissfully climaxed.

For the rest of the night, both women made love to each other until both were very satisfied. They laid together, basking in the exhaustion that comes after such lust.

As Casey fell asleep, she could hear Olivia's steady breathing mixed with the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, and she was certain that she had never been so happy in her whole life.

**A/N: First off, I want to thank each one of you who reviewed and helped this story soar passed the intended 30 reviews! We still have 3 chapters left, and I am excited to see how many there is at the end of this! I enjoy reading each and every thing that you all have to say, and I appreciate it so much! Also, you might be asking yourselves "why the smut?" Well, after much deliberation I decided to have the next chapter be exclusively the wedding/reception, and NOT the honeymoon (and any ensuing smut). I have no idea when I'll be able to work it in again, so I figured I'd give it to you now :-) Thanks for reading & please review!**


	10. October

**A/N: ok, so this chapter took me FOREVER!! I've seriously been trying to write it for weeks! I want to apologize for the wait. Also, the beginning of the chapter parallels Casey and Olivia's wedding morning rituals, so breaks indicate a change of apartment. Hopefully, it'll make sense later. **

**October**

October 27 could not have been a more beautiful day.

Olivia woke up (from a very restless sleep) at 6 a.m. She was disoriented when she didn't recognize her surroundings. She then remembered that she had slept at Elliot's the night before, letting Casey stay in their apartment. Olivia thought it was silly, but Casey was a firm believer in the whole "not seeing the bride before the wedding" thing.

Olivia got out of her temporary bed and went to the window. She looked out at the sun coming up over the city and smiled. "This is going to be perfect." She whispered to no one in particular.

"It sure is." Elliot said from behind her.

Olivia jumped. She turned around and smiled at her partner. "Good morning!" She said cheerily.

Elliot smiled back. "How's the bride-to-be holding up?"

"She's nervous." Olivia said. "She's also tired of talking in the third-person."

Elliot laughed. "You can go back to sleep if you want, you have six hours before you have to be there."

"Elliot, there is no way I am going to be able to sleep now. I'm too wired."

"I'm guessing you don't need the coffee I made you, then?"

She chuckled. "No, I don't, but has that ever stopped me from drinking it before?"

"Good point." Elliot said as he led the way to his kitchen.

-----------------------------------

Casey woke up before the sun that day. She had hardly slept the night before, and by six she was already showering.

She had stayed with her parents and her sister in the apartment the previous night—there was no way in hell that she was going to let Olivia see her before the wedding. At seven, she gently tried to wake up her younger sister.

"Ava," she said as she shook her sister slightly, "Ava, come on, you have to get up!"

"Please just five more minutes!" Ava said to her sister as she pulled the blankets over her fire-red hair.

Casey smiled. She walked out of the room, letting Ava think that she was going to let her sleep.

About twenty seconds later, Casey ran into the room and pounced on the sleeping form of her sister.

"Casey!" her sister screamed, emerging from the confines of the warm bed. "You couldn't just give me five minutes?"

"Come on, Av. It's not every day I get married." She said as she looked into her sister's ice-blue eyes, the ones that she had obviously inherited from their father.

Ava rubbed her eyes. "Mom and Dad up yet?"

"I doubt they ever went to sleep," Casey laughed. "They went to go pick up the flowers."

Ava nodded. "I'm going to shower. When I get out, my coffee better be made or you're going to have one very pissed-off maid of honor." She teased her sister.

Casey laughed.

-----------------------------------

It was 10 a.m. and Olivia needed to start getting ready. She had no idea what to do with her now-long hair, so she enlisted Lizzie Stabler to help her. The teenager had done an elegant up-do, and Olivia had to admit it looked amazing. The remaining Stabler girls joined their younger sister and applied Olivia's make-up for her.

Olivia stood in front of the haphazardly-placed full length mirror in only her underwear. She stared at the simple white dress that hung from it. It really was a beautiful dress. It was tasteful and elegant, and by no means "poofy". She and the Beauty Brigade (also known as Elliot's daughters) had picked it out two weeks before.

Olivia tentatively picked up the dress and began unzipping the back. _Pull it together, Benson_. She thought. _Why on Earth are you afraid of this dress? Sure, you don't wear dresses very often, but it's not like this one is any different from the other ones that you own._

It was then that she realized that this wasn't any dress. It was her wedding dress. As in she was getting married. Today. In less than two hours. After the sudden epiphany, she quickly pulled the dress over her hips and slipped the top carefully over her head. The halter-cut accentuated her broad shoulders. She looked at herself in the mirror and silently approved.

"You look great," she heard from behind her.

"Thanks, Cap." She said when she saw who it was. "You don't look so bad yourself."

-----------------------------------

Casey sat in front of her mirror with a blank expression on her face. Her hair had been done, her makeup put on, and her body squeezed into a beautiful cupcake of a dress, but she could not believe she was getting married. She, Casey Novak, was actually getting married to a woman who she loved more than anything in the entire world. She looked at herself. She admitted that she looked wonderful—her parents had insisted on her hair and makeup being done professionally. At first, she was vehemently opposed to it—she didn't see the point. She eventually conceded, and now she was glad she had. Her hair was beautifully curled and it fell loosely around her shoulders, forming little ringlets and her makeup was done in a way so that her eyes seemed greener than ever before.

When she was young, she dreamt (as most girls do) of her wedding day. She wanted to look like a princess, and she couldn't wait to see her own prince(ss) waiting for her at the top of the aisle. It was still so surreal to her that just 10 months ago, she and Olivia had gone "out" on their first date, and here she was getting married to her.

"Ready to go, babycakes?" Colleen Novak asked her daughter.

Casey looked at the clock that hung on her wall. _11:30_. Casey sighed. "Yep. Let's get a move on."

-----------------------------------

The ceremony was to be held in the small chapel in Central Park. The cool October air engulfed Olivia as she stepped out of the limousine that had driven her, Elliot, his kids, Captain Cragen, Munch, and Fin.

She cautiously walked up the flight of stairs that led to the chapel doors. She knew that Casey was arriving momentarily, but that she would wait outside with her father until Olivia had gotten all the way down the aisle. Olivia was dying to see her. She couldn't even imagine how beautiful she looked, and she didn't think she could contain her excitement for much longer.

From outside of the chapel, Casey could hear the soft processional music begin to play. She could feel her breath catch in her throat. It was unbelievable. She knew that now Liz Donnelly (who was presiding over the wedding) was proceeding to walk down the long stretch of carpet to the front of the church, followed by Maureen and Kathleen together. Next came Lizzie and Dickie, followed soon after by her mother, arm-in-arm with Elliot. When the undertones of the Bridal March began to play, she knew that Ava had completed her walk down the aisle, Munch and Fin on either side of her. Casey counted to five and opened the door. Olivia was about half-way down the aisle, her arm linked with Cragen's. It took all of Casey's strength not to break down and cry at how beautiful the sight was.

After what seemed like hours, Olivia completed her long walk down the aisle. There were times where she didn't think she could keep herself from turning around, knowing that Casey was mere feet behind her. She reached the top of the aisle, kissed her Captain on the cheek and then slowly turned around as the Bridal March began playing a second time.

Olivia audibly gasped. Walking slowly towards her was the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on. Casey looked like an angel. And angel in a very, very poofy dress, that is.

Before she could catch it, Olivia let a tear escape down her cheek. She had a feeling inside that she couldn't quite describe. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. As Casey reached the front of the church, kissed her father, and took Olivia's hand, Olivia knew what that feeling was. She was whole.

Donnelly began the ceremony with a simple reading. The women had written their own vows, so there was not much that Donnelly needed to say. She gestured to Casey, and Casey began to speak.

"Olivia: I love everything about you. I love the way that you are so kind and gentle, but, when the situation warrants it, you are a totally brave and strong. I love your cocky little half-smile when you arrest a perp. I love the way you walk into a room and command the attention of anyone in it. And I love that when I look into your eyes, I see a future full of mini-vans and soccer practices, of ballet recitals and Barbie dolls.

"I never thought that I would find some one who I love as much as I love you. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you, and I'm ecstatic that now I don't have to. It is impossible for me to put into words how much you mean to me. You are my protector, my colleague, and my best friend. I love you, Olivia." Casey finished and could hardly hold in her tears. She looked at Olivia and smiled.

Olivia took a deep breath and began. "Casey: there is nothing in the world that I love more than I love you. Ten months ago, I never thought that I'd be standing here with you. You are a beautiful, beautiful person inside and out, and I feel so blessed to have you in my life. When I was growing up, I never thought that I would ever find someone that I love as much as I love you. I had this sort of hole in my life that was never filled until you came along.

My favorite part of the day is coming home to you at night, because even through the horrible things we see every day, I take one look at you and everything just goes away. Things are perfect as long as we're together. I love you, Casey."

This time neither woman could hold back tears, as now they were flowing freely down both of their cheeks. They smiled at each other.

"Casey, place the ring on Olivia's finger." Donnelly said. "Ok, now you, Olivia. I now pronounce you married. You may now…do whatever the hell you want." She finished with a smirk.

Casey looked into Olivia's eyes, pulled her close, and kissed her hard. Cheers and claps could be heard throughout the small chapel.

As Casey and Olivia held hands tightly and walked down the aisle toward the exit, they were certain that there had never been a more beautiful day in the history of the world.

**So there it was. What did you think? Personally, I'm sort of disappointed, but I went through like a billion different versions of this. Originally, I was going to include the party, but I thought it would be best to end it here. I wasn't sure how to handle the dynamic (legally speaking) of the wedding, so I just did it like a normal one…oy. Um…next up: Thanksgiving!!**


	11. November

**This chapter is for all who have reviewed faithfully. I truly appreciate everything you say. Thanks for the support regarding the last chapter and all of the previous chapters!**

**November**

It was Thanksgiving morning. Olivia awoke suddenly, only to feel as if she was on a life-raft floating in the water. Her eyes shot open to reveal Casey, shaking her forcefully in an attempt to wake her up.

"Good morning, starshine!" Casey said cheerily as she placed a gentle kiss on Olivia's lips. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Ughh, what time is it, Case?" Olivia said, rubbing her eyes.

"8:30. Come on! If you don't hurry up and get out of bed, we're going to miss the start of the parade on TV!"

"Are you kidding me? We just went to sleep four-and-a-half hours ago and you're waking me up for the parade?!"

"Hey!" Casey said, throwing a pillow at Olivia. "_You're_ the one who insisted we have sex…again…three times! It isn't my fault we went to bed late! Plus, you can't **not** watch the parade!" She continued, squealing with delight.

"Sweetie," Olivia said, turning to face Casey, "It's loud, it's the same every year, it blocks off every freaking street in Manhattan, and it makes this city more crowed than usual. Tell me again why I can't miss it?"

"Because…" Casey started, weighing her words carefully, "It's a tradition?" She offered.

"Well," Olivia said, placing her arms around Casey's waist, "How about we start a new tradition?"

Casey's eyes lit up at the thought. "Oh yeah? What exactly does this new tradition involve?" She said, leaning in to kiss Olivia.

"It involves me (kiss), you (kiss), and sleeping until noon, when we'll have to leave if we want to make it to Elliot's by three."

Casey was shocked and slightly hurt. She playfully punched Olivia in the arm and pouted.

"Relax, Case. I was only kidding. The real plan does involve me, you, and this bed," Olivia said, patting the spot next to her, "but there's no sleeping involved."

A look of lust flashed across Casey's face as she bent to kiss Olivia passionately. Olivia smiled as she took Casey's bottom lip into her mouth and bit down gently.

Casey audibly hissed as she ran her tongue over Olivia's lip. Olivia started to move her hand under Casey's top and began to snake it up towards her breasts.

Casey felt a wetness beginning to spread in her panties. She needed Olivia. Right now.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill ringing. Olivia groaned and reached to the nightstand next to her bed.

"Benson." She said quickly without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey," Elliot's voice on the other end said. He continued without bothering to say who he was. He correctly assumed Olivia knew it was him. "Are you watching the parade?"

"No, El, I'm a little busy." She told her partner of almost nine years while Casey began to kiss a path down Olivia's already naked body. It took all of Olivia's strength not to gasp in her partner's ear.

"I just thought I'd let you know that Cap' is going to be on in a few minutes marching…right after these teeny-boppers stop singing…correction lip-synching. I just think that he would like you to see it." Elliot said, totally not getting the hint that she was 'busy'.

Casey, at this point, had started licking around Olivia's navel and her fingers were dangerously close to Olivia's center.

"That's great El, but could you tape it or something? I'm kind of (gasp) in the middle of something." Olivia said as Casey bit down on her hip bone. Casey chuckled into the skin of her partner and smoothed the bite mark with her tongue.

"Liv, are you ok?" Elliot said, concerned, "You don't sound too well…I mean you're all out of breath and…"

"She's fine Elliot!" Casey yelled, annoyed. "Now let her get back to what she was in the middle of!"

"Oh!" Elliot said, realization dawning on him. "Jesus, Liv. You could have said something. Um, well, anyway…call when you're…finished."

Olivia hung up her phone without saying another thing. "Oh my gosh," she said, tossing her phone back on the nightstand. "I love the man but he is so slow sometimes!"

Casey laughed and spread Olivia's legs. "Wait, Case." Olivia said, pulling Casey up towards her. "You know how much I hate lying around and doing nothing. Flip around so we can both get a little out of this." She added a wink for emphasis.

Casey looked like a toddler on Christmas morning who had just gotten that puppy she'd been asking for. Without hesitation, she turned around so that her feet were on either side of Olivia's head. Olivia smiled as she put her hands on Casey's hips and lowered her to her waiting mouth.

Casey moaned and bent to capture Olivia's center with equal fervor. They stayed like that for sometime, licking, nipping, tickling.

"Liv," Casey whispered against Olivia's thigh and sucked in a deep breath. "Olivia I'm so close."

"Me too, Case. Let go. I'm right here."

They climaxed in unison, crying out each other's names.

After the aftershocks of pleasure had subsided, they settled down and got up to shower and get ready for the day. The planned on having dinner at Elliot's, because he did not have the kids this holiday. It was going to be a makeshift family, and Olivia wouldn't have it any other way.

Casey called her parents and her sister to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving (they, of course, asked if she watched the parade. She lied and said of course she did…it was tradition after all!).

At around half past noon, they set off for Elliot's apartment. Dinner was not for a few hours, but traffic was going to be a bitch today.

"Liv?" Casey said, about an hour into the constant start-stop motion of the car.

"Yeah, babe?" Olivia asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

"You know what I'm most thankful for today, right?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea, and I can guess that it's pretty close to what _I'm_ most thankful for, too." Olivia said as she leaned over to kiss Casey before turning her attention back to the road (not that they were going anywhere)

"Wow, Liv. I didn't know you loved the Black Friday sale at Macy's as much as I did!"

Olivia looked over at her wife, shocked. Casey smiled playfully and whacked her on the arm. "Come on, Olivia!" She said. "I was kidding!"

Olivia rolled her eyes.

Casey added, "You know the sale at Saks is much better!"

**A/N: dun dun dun! One more! What do our lovely ladies have in store for Christmas? We shall see.**


	12. December

December

The Christmas season is a time of giving, of love, and of joy. New York City is lit up twice as bright as usual, and the frenzied pace at which the city residents usually move seems to double.

Olivia was looking forward to her first Christmas with Casey. She always felt a little out of place around the Holidays—she never really knew where she fit in. She even volunteered to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day occasionally, just so she didn't have to face her empty apartment or sit through another awkward dinner at Elliot's. This year, however, her biggest worry was what to get Casey for Christmas.

Growing up in Colorado, Casey spent her winter breaks outside constantly. Skiing, sledding, you name it, she most likely did it. Casey never in her life doubted that her parents loved her very much, but they did not get to spend a lot of time together when she was growing up. At Christmastime, her parents over-compensated for it by buying extravagant gifts and going on vacations—usually out to California. It was on these lavish vacations that Casey first fell in love with the beach. This year, it was Casey's turn to give an extravagant gift—this time, to Olivia.

Christmas Eve arrived before they knew it. Casey and Olivia planned to spend the night alone at the beach house, and then drive back into the city the next day to have Christmas dinner with Casey's parents and sister.

A light snow was falling when Casey and Olivia reached the beach. Casey quickly lit a fire in their spacious living room while Olivia unpacked some things in the kitchen.

Casey's heart was beating quickly—the present that she had gotten Olivia certainly was outrageous…but then again, Olivia had bought her a **house** for her birthday, why shouldn't she indulge Olivia this time around? She just hoped that it wasn't too much all at once.

Olivia returned to the living room with some eggnog and Christmas cookies.

Casey smiled when she saw the tray of goodies. "I didn't see you pack these." She said, grabbing one and kissing Olivia's cheek simultaneously.

Olivia laughed. "What's Christmas without cookies and eggnog?"

Casey tentatively took a sip of her drink. "Whoa!" she said, surprised. "You spiked this, didn't you?"

A mischievous smile spread across Olivia's face. "You caught me, Case."

Casey quickly put down the drink like it was poison, hoping Olivia didn't notice. "Ok!" she said excitedly, changing the subject, "time for presents!"

"I swear, Casey, sometimes I wonder if I married a 30-year-old or a 3-year-old! Let me go get yours, I'll be back in a sec." Olivia walked out of the living room and once again into the kitchen. She grabbed the large ventilated box next to the refrigerator, and thanked God that Casey hadn't noticed it on the drive here.

She carefully carried the package out to a very eager Casey.

"Ok, Case. Don't be mad," she began as she handed Casey the present, "I know when I said I wanted kids as soon as possible, you said you weren't ready for them, and so I thought that this would be a good start."

An intrigued look crossed Casey's face as she opened her present carefully. Inside was a beautiful brown Dachshund, he couldn't have been more than a few months old.

"Oh, Liv!" She delightedly squealed as she picked up the puppy. "He is **so** cute! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, sweetie! I'm so glad you like him! What do you think we should name him?" Olivia asked.

Casey stared at the dog for a long time. "He kind of looks like Cragen." She decided.

Olivia laughed. "You know, you're right! He does look like him!"

"Let's name him Don!" Casey said, hugging the puppy closely.

"What am I supposed to tell my Captain when he asked what we named him? I can't very well tell my boss that he looks like a Dachshund! How about we just name him Captain?"

"Fine," Casey conceded, "but _I'm _still calling him Don."

"You know, I thought you would be opposed to this whole dog thing, but I'm so glad you're not. I want nothing more than to start a family with you, babe. If that means just having Captain over here for awhile, then I'm totally cool with that." Olivia said, smiling.

"Um…" Casey started. _Well, here goes_. "About that whole family thing…I think I'm ready for it, Liv."

Olivia stared at her in shock. "But Casey, you said…"

"I know what I said, Olivia. But I, um, was wrong." She stopped to make sure Olivia was still smiling. "In fact, that's your Christmas present."

"What is? You admitting that you were wrong?" Olivia joked.

"Seriously, Liv. When I was thinking about what would be the most meaningful present I could get you, the only thing that I could think of that was fitting enough would be to give you a family. So, two days after Thanksgiving I went to the fertility clinic and I..."

"Casey you didn't!" Olivia interrupted, her words bouncing with joy.

"Yeah, Liv. I did. We're going to have a baby." Casey said quickly.

Olivia's eyes instantly filled with tears. She enveloped Casey in a tight embrace and kissed her hard on the mouth.

"You—you're not angry?" Casey asked.

"Angry?! No way! Casey, I'm the happiest woman alive right now."

Casey sighed in relief. "I highly doubt that, Benson." She said coolly. "I can think of someone who can give you a real run for your money!"

Olivia couldn't stop smiling. "So how far along are you, exactly?"

"One month today." Casey said, patting her stomach. "We should be expecting the bundle of joy on August 24th."

"Did you hear that, Don?" Olivia said, picking up the puppy, "you're going to be a big brother!"

"Liv, for the sake of my sanity please, please do not refer to our dog as a child. That creeps me out."

"Whatever you say, _Mommy_. Ah! That sounds so cool!"

"Now who's being a three-year-old, Liv?" Casey joked.

Olivia laughed. "So _that's_ why you dropped your eggnog faster than a hot potato."

"Always a detective, my sweet. Always a detective."

Just then, Casey's phone rang. "MOM CELL" flashed across her screen.

"Hello… Hey Mom! … Cancelled? … is there a lot? …Wow, that much?! … Oh, I'm sorry I wanted to see you too! I have so much to tell you! … Ok, for New Year's then? Love you too. Merry Christmas!"

"My parents and sister are snowed in in Colorado. They can't make it out until New Year's." Casey said somewhat sadly.

"I'm not surprised! Look outside! Even if it wasn't cancelled in Colorado, it would be murder trying to fly into this area!"

Casey ran to the window. There was at least three inches of fluffy snow on the ground, and it was still coming down hard.

"Wow," she said, "we probably won't even get dug out of here until New Year's!"

"Not to worry, my dear. I figured the chances of it snowing were pretty high, so I brought extra food for a few days."

"Where _do_ you keep all of this stuff?" Casey asked, thoroughly surprised that Olivia had now managed to keep cookies, a puppy, and a considerably large amount of food from her.

"In the trunk, usually. You know that compartment in the back of the car where I'm always loading _your_ luggage into, princess." She joked.

"You kept Donny in the trunk?!" Casey said, pretending to be appalled.

"Relax. He had holes punched in the top of the box." She retorted, as if it was the most logical thing in the world to be keeping a puppy in your trunk.

Casey settled down against Olivia as they watched the fire intently. Olivia wrapped her hands around Casey's waist and placed them on her belly, and she almost cried at the thought of her child being in there.

Casey looked up at Olivia with her emerald eyes that Olivia had come to love so many months ago and smiled. Both women had truly, genuinely never been happier.

And just like they did on their very first night together, they settled down and fell asleep in each other's arms.

**A/N: Brace yourselves for a longggg one!**

**Let's just get this part out of the way: yes, it was OOC, yes it was random, and yes it was sudden, but dammit, there aren't enough femslash baby stories! LOL! **

**OK—the end. Thank you all so much for reading. It's been one crazy ride, let me tell you. I am awfully sad to see this one go, I feel like I'm giving up a child or something! I hope you all enjoyed this last installment; I again, had about 7 different versions of it. **

**I always thought Captain Cragen looked like a Dachshund (or do the Dachshunds look like him? Hmm…). That was my homage to him! LOL!**

**As always, review. It's been great. Really. I thoroughly appreciate all of your support. Look for the next chapter of "Girlfriend" soon, and after that I may try a Melinda/Olivia story, I haven't decided yet. But I'm always looking for good CO ideas. REVIEW! If not for me, then do it for the unborn child of Casey and Olivia! (if you were wondering, by the way, they're having a girl ) ) **


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